"Isabelle" by Julian Voss Andreae. Photo by Myriam Mahiques, personal archives. 2023
"Isabelle" by Julian Voss Andreae. Photo by Myriam Mahiques, personal archives. 2023
I have been in Palm Springs many times, most of all for business, and I always take the time to walk around Downtown and see what is new or coming next.
One of my favorite urban sculptures is the one shown above, "Isabelle", built in stainless steel, it has the particularity that depending on one's point of view, the woman can be seen in full or translucent at the point of almost disappearing. I think the location of "Isabelle" is not a fortunate one. It is hidden from the Starbucks plaza, where most people meet or stay, it is around the corner and every time I've been there, this service street is empty. Besides, I was lucky this time that it was a bright day, because this street is in shadows due to the building heights and orientation, and the ghost effect could be missing if there is no proper light.
To help explain myself on "Isabelle"s location issue, this Love installation has priority in the Starbucks plaza, while "Isabelle" is located on the dark passage between the building on the left and the lower shop on the right.
Here's "Isabelle" on the left, covered in shadows. In order to enjoy the ghost effect, one has to walk around and look at the other side. This sculpture deserves a relocation!
I have been reading that the location of the "new" sculpture "Forever Marilyn" by Seward Johnson was a serious matter of controversy. You can read the story on npr.org, the link is here:
https://www.npr.org/2021/05/16/996565192/giant-marilyn-monroe-statue-returns-to-palm-springs-but-its-backside-faces-backl
I have my own architect's impression. I have walked around and took pictures from every point of view.
Even though I am not a fan of Pop Art, I agree with Aftab Dada that this sculpture is an interesting icon and that, sharing photos on social media will help the City of Palm Springs to be well known, which is ideal to get more tourists.
The sculpture looks very impressive, located at the beginning of the pedestrian walkway that leads to the main entrance of the Palm Springs Museum of Art. I feel that somehow it is blocking the Museum's front view, given the enormous scale and considering the quantity of people that gathers around to take selfies.
The Palm Springs Art Museum is at the very end of the perspective, against the mountains and color like. It is very difficult to discover the Museum with its earthen mimesis color. So even if the sculpture was not there, looking from afar, you may miss the Museum anyway. Regarding the one point of view perspective emphasized with the side Palm trees, the classical rule says there should be one building at the end of the perspective, and Marilyn is blocking it. It would have been better to discover Marilyn in a -for example- winding path, each sculpture and building by its own. That would have been the end of the discussion, but it seems nobody thought of a different walkway......
Here's a full view of the sculpture with a huge platform that advertises Palm Springs. I prefer the original platform that can be seen
here.
I find the discussion about Marilyn giving her back to the Museum's front, very naive. A sculpture should not have a front or back if you think of it in 3D. It has to be seen as a whole.
Though I have to confess, the joke of men taking pictures under Marilyn's underskirt, is popular. I have seen it myself, but taking into account the skirt morphology and the light against the blue sky, I have zero complaints, except for the palm leaves that are interfering in the beauty of the sculpture view.
This sight would have been much better from an artistic point of view, if the Palm tree was not there. The sculpture deserves an empty space around.
I wanted to record how the sculpture affected the surroundings. I took this picture of the legs, looking at the park but my favorite one is looking up the underskirt towards the blue sky. There was only one point where I could avoid the Palm trees. I'm wondering if the artist has considered it himself???
I truly believe tall Palm trees and lamp posts so close to "Forever Marilyn", though beautiful, are competing with its 26' scale.
This is the only point of view I could achieve to avoid the Palm trees. The afternoon Winter light is beautiful in the many folds of the skirt and Marilyn's legs.
And below is the controversial point of view: looking at the sculpture from the Museum of Art. I do not see the problem considering a sculpture in itself, no side, front or back, like a living person. Besides, the statue is dwarfed against the side building and the eternal Palm trees.
Forever Marilyn's view from the Museum of Art. See how the Palm leaves are obstructing the sculpture's view.
There is an interesting installation right in front of the Palm Springs Museum of Art. A car perpendicular to reflecting pond. Here I am wondering again if the location of Palm trees was part of the design idea or not. The same question applies to the traffic signs.
Were the Palm trees part of the artist's design or expected reflections? I don't think so, much less the traffic signs. If the pond was located farther away on the same land, this would have been avoid.
Here I captured the traffic signs, the trees and even the lamp post reflections apart from the car.
It seems to me that there is a disparity between the landscape design and the urban sculptures. I like them all, but it feels like one interferes with the other. I cannot tell if the car is a temporary installation, like (I assume) the Alien babies crawling on the construction ground floor. I love this!
The exposed rebars at the end of the lot indicate that the concrete slab will be extended all the area where the crawling babies are.
All this area in a sub-level seems to be part of a coming parking structure. I managed to take the pictures behind an iron fence, from above. The light and shadows on the sculptures are a real plus.
Another great idea was the informal graffiti displayed on what I think are the bottom part of columns. I do not see the rebars extended and exposed to continue with the concrete, but maybe they will be exposed in the future to be tied to a higher structure.
It has been raining for days and this casual reflecting pond is a plus. This area is the first part of the park, leading to the Marilyn sculpture, which is beyond and behind.
Best accomplished area at the public Downtown Palm Springs park is the landscape and hardscape around the earth color building on the right. I am not sure which building this is yet.
The fountain and sculpture on Palm Canyon dr. is always inviting to sit and chat around. The design looks old, but still fine, it is usually crowded on weekends.
The yellow umbrella adding a note of color.
A special mention deserves the "Agua Caliente Women" at the central landscape boulevard of E Tahquitz Canyon Way. Impeccable selection with a low desert landscape that complements the sculpture and does not block the drivers view. The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum is not open yet and we'll see in time how the building landscape continues the boulevard concept.
All pictures by Myriam Mahiques, January 2023. Please do not reproduce without my permission.
The "Aguas Calientes Women" as seen from the corner across.
